Precerpt from Grandma's Ninja Training Diary: Planking It
I’ve been thinking about planks lately — mostly because I keep hearing that Cher holds a plank for five minutes and swears it’s the secret to her good health. Five minutes. I admire her, but I also suspect she has a higher tolerance for boredom than I do. I tap out around the two‑minute mark, not because my core gives up, but because my brain does. There’s only so long I can stare at the floor and contemplate my life choices. Still, planking has become one of my quiet, reliable rituals — the kind that keeps me functional, upright, and able to get off the floor without looking like I’m reenacting a Greek tragedy. What I actually get out of planking When I plank, I can feel the deep core muscles switch on — the ones that don’t show up in photos but keep me steady in real life. My glutes fire, my quads brace, my shoulders stabilize, and my diaphragm negotiates with me about breathing. It’s a full‑body negotiation, really. This is why I keep doing it. Planks aren’t glamorous, but they’re t...